The president of Napoli is unmoved: to release the Tuscan coach, the clause must be paid. FIGC (Italian Football Federation) is waiting a few more days: now, Conte is in the lead.
A three-million-euro gap is what stands between Luciano Spalletti and the position of coach for the Italian national team, replacing the resigned Mancini.
This three-million-and-250-thousand-euro sum represents the clause stipulated in a private agreement signed by the Tuscan coach upon his early departure from Napoli.
It’s a fee that would be payable if he were to coach another team this year. De Laurentiis, as reiterated in the stern statement published on the official website, has no intention of releasing his former coach for free, especially after Spalletti “abandoned” him after securing the league title.
On the other hand, FIGC (Italian Football Federation) has no intention of paying it, and neither does Spalletti. It’s a standstill, with no compromises. The situation is expected to be resolved by the end of the week.
As of now, the situation remains at a standstill. And so, the name of Antonio Conte starts to heat up: his odds are rapidly increasing, even though the Puglian coach is demanding a high salary.
In the meantime, Spalletti has reached a comprehensive agreement with the Federation. This includes the number of assistants (3, significantly fewer than his predecessor Mancini) who would accompany him in his venture with the national team.
Spalletti is in a position to sign a contract with the national team nonetheless, then potentially engage in a legal battle with Napoli to demonstrate that Italy is not a club team and that the non-competition agreement, which entails payment of the clause to free him, cannot hold.
In essence, everything revolves around those 3 million euros or a little more that no one wants to pay: not only the Federation but also Spalletti himself.
Yet, FIGC cannot afford to wait too long: the European qualifiers loom (the first match against North Macedonia is scheduled for September 9th), and pre-calls must be issued at least next week (with the training camp in Coverciano set for September 4th).
Thus, Gravina still keeps the other solution up his sleeve. This is by no means a Plan B, but rather, a top-tier choice. For certain reasons, even superior to Spalletti. We’re talking about Antonio Conte, who has already expressed his availability.
If someone has to lend a hand to Italy, who better than him? This would mark a return for him after he led the team in the Euro 2016 campaign, which ended in the quarter-finals loss against Germany in a penalty shootout.
The issue of his salary needs to be resolved, undoubtedly higher than what Spalletti requested. Conte would not settle for less than 6.5-7 million euros, which is still half of what Tottenham offered him in his last English venture.
